Biota |
Augmented Reality Public Installation
Unseen, Halifax Independant Filmmakers Festival/Centre for Art Tapes 2020 This project was commissioned as part of the CFAT Unseen Augmented Reality residency and used the ARt@Large AR app. Acting as a sort of virtual field-guide, Biota used augmented reality to recreate the act of foraging and wildlife viewing in an urban setting. Viewers used their phones to search for plants, animals and mushrooms virtually placed downtown Halifax, and were able to test their knowledge in identifying the species, conservation status and edibility by selecting each item which linked to a digital reference-guide created as an online accompaniment to this piece. |
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Bear |
Video Series
Isolation Projects II, Connexion ARC 2020 Bear is a five chapter video series made in part as a response to the pandemic, broaching on themes of loneliness, isolation and existentialism. Each chapter represents an aspect in Bear’s journey into the unknown: Foraging, An Unknown Path, Strange Country, The Briny Deep and Settling In. They are associated with short poetic texts that further contextualizes each chapter. Bear was created as part of a digital artist residency with Connexion Artist Run Centre, Fredericton NB. |
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Chapter 1: Foraging
Bear scavenges the forest looking for food. Eating dictates the better part of our days, affecting our mood, our health and our ability to function. It is a necessity shared by all living things. Some find great joy in the act of eating while others see it strictly as a matter of sustenance for survival. Bear spends much of its day foraging. Like many creatures, Bear prefers some foods the best, especially mushrooms, and will do anything to find this coveted treat. |
Chapter 2: An Unknown Path
Sometimes we seek the unknown and sometimes it finds us. Forgetting to look up while chasing for mushrooms, Bear has wandered into an unfamiliar part of the forest. Too much focus has caused Bear to lose grip on the surrounding environment. Lost and forced to follow a mysterious path deeper into the forest, Bear must face what lies ahead. |
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Chapter 3: Strange Country
Emerging from the mysterious path out of the forest, into a new, strange country, Bear tentatively explores the landscape. Vast expanses of mountain and ocean meet its gaze. So much space. Bear observes the strange, otherworldly creatures of this land. Faced with feeling lost and isolated, Bear realizes that everything it knows and holds dear has gone away, things that were taken for granted. Nothing is the same. |
Chapter 4: The Briny Deep
Where rivers empty and a secret world lies below, a seal says a quick hello. Bear recognizes the ocean as a force that cannot be tamed or controlled, this is the end of the line. Bear’s journey must come to a halt at the shoreline, where further lies the impenetrable depths of the sea. This realization is simultaneously frightening and comforting. |
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Chapter 5: Settling In
Isolated in this new environment, Bear must begin to build from the ground up. A new world means a new start, mistakes were made in the past, but Bear has learned. The unfamiliar must become the familiar, Bear will need to adapt to survive, starting with building a place to feel safe, somewhere to rest for a while. |